The sound and the fury.

Started gently enough.
Early morning in the kitchen Okaasan asked for DS because she wanted some money.
I dole out money too, and DS was still sleeping - so I asked what it was for. Usually we dole out a little money late afternoon when Okaasan is heading out. A demand for money at 7 am is unusual.
"I need to buy a ticket for the concert by the Percy Faith Orchestra! It's today! I was at the ticket office yesterday and I didn't have any money. I need to get it today!"

Oh? Really?The concert is today? Do they have tickets left? Let me just check on the computer...

Computer check.
Percy Faith Orchestra came to Hokkaido last year. No concerts in Japan at the moment.

Told Okaasan that.

She started to spiral out of control: but there IS a concert! In Nakajima Park! In Kitara Hall! I was with my friend, she took me to the ticket office yesterday! But I didn't have the money! I have to buy it today! The concert is today!

But there IS no concert/ Maybe another big band/swing/jazz orchestra?

I don't know. I was at the ticket office yesterday. My friend told me. But I couldn't buy a ticket. I didn't have enough money. The concert is today July 22!! Do you know Percy Faith? It's at that hall in Nakajima Park. I need the money.

DS woke up and joined the party.
It's not that he doesn't want to give her the money. But of course he is wondering what she is doing with it. The whole story was confused.

She had been downtown the previous day, and had maybe met the "friend" in the coffee shop. The friend who has no name and no phone number. Near the coffee shop is the local newspaper office with their ticket office for sponsored city events. There is also the City Jazz Festival ticket office.
Maybe she saw a poster at one of these places? We really couldn't be sure.
And the hall in the park is taken over by a big classical music festival this month.....
Nothing added up.

And it got worse and worse.
Even after he gave her enough money for a concert ticket.

Every time we went to the kitchen after that, she'd come out of her room and harangue us - at the top of her voice, stating her case, complaining. Telling us about the ticket office and the mystery concert.
On and on and on. 20 times?

It was complete stressy madness.
Shows how just under the surface THIS kind of Okaasan is. The usual, gentle, sweet old lady. Just add a bit of stress, and BAM! major fury and aggression.

It was exhausting. You have to go into the kitchen a lot early morning at breakfast time and before work. She pounced on us every time.

Ok, ok, OKAY! We understand. But now you have the money! You can go to the ticket office and get the ticket, can't you? It's ok! ok! We don't know what concert. You go and check yourself. We don't know! Yes, yes - but you have the money now. There is no Percy Faith concert. The orchestra isn't in Japan at the moment. Maybe another concert? You go and check.

But I was there yesterday -- friend - ticket office - park - Percy Faith - yesterday - ticket office.......

There were a lot of raised voices and door slamming.
I really though she might start climbing the stairs to our second floor apartment to keep up the conversation.

She got dressed as thought she was going out. But then after hunting around for clothes etc she seemed to forget that plan. And sat down by the TV again. But kept checking the money.

Exhausting. Madness.
I think we handled it badly too. Our natural urge to help (check the concert details on the computer) and then the news that there was no concert - for Okaasan it all got interpreted as us trying to stop her going. She couldn't separate the two.  She thought we were saying the whole memory was a lie: the friend and the ticket office etc. That negative feeling unleashed all the sound and fury.

We should have just given her the money and left it at that. Not try to help and advise.

And the funniest thing: she went for a local walk in the afternoon and came home by 4 pm. I asked her if she'd got a ticket. She looked confused. A ticket? A concert?Me? Total blank again. Sweet, friendly old lady was back.

We wondered if there had been a dream, and that had prompted the early morning panic. She hadn't mentioned anything about a concert the previous evening when she came back from downtown. Had she seen something about Percy Faith on TV?

We don't know.